Thank you for putting Elephant on top of your list. I am Dutch and was fortunate to see most of the Alan Clarke films on BBC I think in the early nineties. Elephant made such an impression on me although I really enjoyed the Firm, Road, Scum, Made in Britain and 'Rita, Sue and Bob too'. I couldn't believe my luck when Clarkes Elephant was put as a featurette on the Gus van Sant DVD. I am also glad that the RUclips algorithm landed me on your channel. Lots of great content here
Thank you! Great to hear the word about Alan Clarke is spreading. They used to repeat his TV plays and films regularly in the UK, now hardly ever. It's a great shame.
Thank you for this lesson on a topic of which I know nothing. I am highly intrigued by a number of these recommendations and will attempt to locate some of them, especially Elephant. America was, sadly, deprived exposure to many talented, smaller scale British directors. I am curious to hear your thoughts on the Banshees of Inisherin, which as allegory for the pity/futility of the Irish Civil War, I found brilliant. That films works on multiple levels. Also, I congratulate you on 300 subscribers and expect exponential growth for your channel in 2023!
Thanks so much, Frank! Good luck in finding Alan Clarke films across the Pond. I got given the DVD of Banshees as a present recently, so I'll check it out and let you know.
Alan Clarke is largely unknown in the United States, largely no doubt due to the bulk of his work having been produced for British television, such output not typically (or at least not previously) getting much airing on American TV outside of comedy or prestige costume dramas. Anyone being compared to Bresson or Tarkovsky certainly arouses my curiosity, and this kind of aesthetic being worked out in a British context heightens the sense of wonder, as British cinema has so often been disparaged as pedestrian and unadventurous from a purely formal perspective (a legacy perhaps from the French critics and their fashionable acolytes). In terms of the "kitchen-sink realism" of the characters and stories, I'm reminded of Roger Ebert's assertion that WHAT a film is about is not as important as HOW the film expresses and communicates its subject and themes. I recall a brief passage from Derek Jarman's impressionistic 1984 memoir 'Dancing Ledge', where Jarman decries the critical neglect of the most important British filmmakers of the period, fully the equals, to his mind, of their counterparts on the continent. I believe he names (apart from proudly including himself), among others, Sally Potter, Terence Davies, Bill Douglas, Ron Peck, Chris Petit, and Peter Watkins, but I do not recall any mention of Clarke (Jarman expressed a dubious opinion of Peter Greenaway). It's conceivable that Jarman himself was revealing a prejudice against made-for-television work here, or he might have been (rather unlikely, I would think) truly ignorant of Clarke and his achievement.
I suspect Jarman didn't include Clarke because, as you say, he saw him as a TV guy (there was once a weird rivalry and gulf between TV and film folk in the UK) but also because Clarke is not, at least on the surface, a director exploring his own personal universe and exhibiting a totally idiosyncratic personality, unlike the directors he mentioned. But I'm sure he would have known of his work. (Interesting that Jarman disliked Greenaway! But then Greenaway dislikes Tarkovsky...)
Made in Britain is one of the most extraordinary films I've seen I've recommended it to all my punk friends. (Yes, I am a punk. and punk is one of my biggest loves....lol) When I first saw it I thought "Great! They got a real skinhead to play the lead for authenticity" It was only many years later that I found out the real skinhead was Tim Roth in his first role I think.. What a performance!! What I especially like about the film is it presents both sides of the skinhead "problem" very fairly---society's and the troubled youth's A damn near perfect little film. So glad you gave it a shout out.
Just found your channel - love your tastes in film and tv, pretty much mirror mine! Brilliant insights in this video, looking forward to watching more 👍🏻
Thanks for this Michael, another great video, so well said and felt. Only recently has Clarke come to my attention. Made in Britain and Scum left an indelible mark on me as a teenager, and enjoyed The Firm and Rita, Sue and Bob too. For some reason I didn’t realize they were all from the same director, and that there’s a mine of gold waiting to be discovered. I have to get that box set.
Thanks, Calum! Clarke never disappoints. But it's worth seeking out Artemis 81 if you like Penda's Fen. It's not quite as successful, but is full of fantastic ideas.
Enjoyed this video. Subscribed. At times it was like listening to myself! I even have that Prisoner box set! Elephant is my no1 too. An extraordinary piece of work. I was shown it by an older brother of a friend after school, (the day after broadcast ) and it's stayed with me ever since. As always, Clarke cuts through any BS and gets right to the heart of the matter. A genius. An underrated British genius, along with Peter Watkins. I've actually just finished 2800 words on Scum for the next issue of Cinema of the 70's magazine. Watching both versions, one after another, I agree that there is very little to separate them in terms of quality, though I do slightly prefer the film (love the Clarke steadicam). One other key difference between them is that Carlin has a 'missus' in the TV play. Minton was furious that this was cut from the film and fell out with Alan for years, until his tragic, early death. I still need to see Road and a couple of his TV plays, so I'll get that box set. Watching Clarke's work again recently only emphasises the poor state of British TV drama today. Everything is so safe and unchallenging, a world away from the uncompromising vision of Clarke. I find Shane Meadows to be his only natural successor.
Hi, Greg! Thanks so much for subscribing. I didn't know about that Cinema of the 70s mag - I'll check it out! Fantastic decade. I totally agree about modern TV drama. I just can't watch it. Not only is it safe and unadventurous, no character seems like a real adult person. Rather, they come across as avatars of a point of view, or a creation of someone who's learned characterisation from a media course, and not life. Modern narratives "hide" in a comfortable space where the spectator's view is never really challenged. Listen to me, old grump. But I can't shake that feeling.
I bought scum in 1991 from woolworths in hartlepool i was 15 so i new of Alan clarke's work at a young age and i think the man was a working class Genius film maker. More people probably know of him now than when he was alive due to his great body of work. Thankyou for this video👍
Thanks, Paul! I LOVE that you could buy Scum at Woolie's! Ah, I miss Woolworth's...and Wilko's. And they obvs had better taste in film than most supermarkets now.
Glad Contact was included, though being based on a no relation other Clarke, who was an officer in the Parachute Regiment and did two Northern Ireland tours in the 1970’s, the film based on the later rural one. The real Clarke didn’t fail to defuse bomb, it was an IED, you do see him start to do stupid things like picking up those bullets not waiting for bomb disposal and opening abandoned car doors, really it was a way on film to show his strain leading to a stomach ulcer that had him withdrawn. It was realistic, they are moving at times covertly so unlike Hollywood are professionally quiet. I think Elephant is a brave choice and deserving, honorable mention to Christine too.
Yeah, I don't mind Shane Meadows. But I haven't bothered with much of his later stuff. I like Romeo Brass, Dead Man's Shoes and This is England, but that's about it (though I didn't catch the last series of This Is England).
@@michaelbartlettfilm Well I think hes the closest will we ever got to a modern day Alan Clarke with his focus on Working class Englishmen and Primarily working on TV. That being said I think Bruce Robinson is another underrated and forgotten yet great British writer since Fear and loathing in Las Vegas is one of my all time favourite Films and book I think he did a great job of translating his work into Late 60s Britannia, and he also worked on The Killing fields which is another great film.
@@wotcher2385 I know what you mean about Meadows. I think he's a bit softer, more sentimental than Clarke, but at least he's got the right intent. His stuff feels so much more real and lived-in than so much modern TV and film. I don't know Bruce Robinson so well, to be honest.
Thank you for putting Elephant on top of your list. I am Dutch and was fortunate to see most of the Alan Clarke films on BBC I think in the early nineties. Elephant made such an impression on me although I really enjoyed the Firm, Road, Scum, Made in Britain and 'Rita, Sue and Bob too'. I couldn't believe my luck when Clarkes Elephant was put as a featurette on the Gus van Sant DVD. I am also glad that the RUclips algorithm landed me on your channel. Lots of great content here
Thank you! Great to hear the word about Alan Clarke is spreading. They used to repeat his TV plays and films regularly in the UK, now hardly ever. It's a great shame.
Great piece. I am writing a piece on Clarke, and I found your presentation riveting.
Thanks so much, Mark. I look forward to reading your piece!
Thank you for this lesson on a topic of which I know nothing. I am highly intrigued by a number of these recommendations and will attempt to locate some of them, especially Elephant. America was, sadly, deprived exposure to many talented, smaller scale British directors. I am curious to hear your thoughts on the Banshees of Inisherin, which as allegory for the pity/futility of the Irish Civil War, I found brilliant. That films works on multiple levels. Also, I congratulate you on 300 subscribers and expect exponential growth for your channel in 2023!
Thanks so much, Frank! Good luck in finding Alan Clarke films across the Pond. I got given the DVD of Banshees as a present recently, so I'll check it out and let you know.
Thanks Michael. Nice overview of Clarke's work.
You're very welcome, Adrian!
Alan Clarke is largely unknown in the United States, largely no doubt due to the bulk of his work having been produced for British television, such output not typically (or at least not previously) getting much airing on American TV outside of comedy or prestige costume dramas. Anyone being compared to Bresson or Tarkovsky certainly arouses my curiosity, and this kind of aesthetic being worked out in a British context heightens the sense of wonder, as British cinema has so often been disparaged as pedestrian and unadventurous from a purely formal perspective (a legacy perhaps from the French critics and their fashionable acolytes). In terms of the "kitchen-sink realism" of the characters and stories, I'm reminded of Roger Ebert's assertion that WHAT a film is about is not as important as HOW the film expresses and communicates its subject and themes.
I recall a brief passage from Derek Jarman's impressionistic 1984 memoir 'Dancing Ledge', where Jarman decries the critical neglect of the most important British filmmakers of the period, fully the equals, to his mind, of their counterparts on the continent. I believe he names (apart from proudly including himself), among others, Sally Potter, Terence Davies, Bill Douglas, Ron Peck, Chris Petit, and Peter Watkins, but I do not recall any mention of Clarke (Jarman expressed a dubious opinion of Peter Greenaway). It's conceivable that Jarman himself was revealing a prejudice against made-for-television work here, or he might have been (rather unlikely, I would think) truly ignorant of Clarke and his achievement.
I suspect Jarman didn't include Clarke because, as you say, he saw him as a TV guy (there was once a weird rivalry and gulf between TV and film folk in the UK) but also because Clarke is not, at least on the surface, a director exploring his own personal universe and exhibiting a totally idiosyncratic personality, unlike the directors he mentioned. But I'm sure he would have known of his work. (Interesting that Jarman disliked Greenaway! But then Greenaway dislikes Tarkovsky...)
Made in Britain is one of the most extraordinary films I've seen I've recommended it to all my punk friends. (Yes, I am a punk. and punk is one of my biggest loves....lol) When I first saw it I thought "Great! They got a real skinhead to play the lead for authenticity" It was only many years later that I found out the real skinhead was Tim Roth in his first role I think.. What a performance!! What I especially like about the film is it presents both sides of the skinhead "problem" very fairly---society's and the troubled youth's A damn near perfect little film.
So glad you gave it a shout out.
Nothing wrong with punk! I miss it - we need more of its spirit back in the UK. I still think this is Tim Roth’s best performance.
Just found your channel - love your tastes in film and tv, pretty much mirror mine! Brilliant insights in this video, looking forward to watching more 👍🏻
Thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying the channel.
Thanks for this Michael, another great video, so well said and felt. Only recently has Clarke come to my attention. Made in Britain and Scum left an indelible mark on me as a teenager, and enjoyed The Firm and Rita, Sue and Bob too. For some reason I didn’t realize they were all from the same director, and that there’s a mine of gold waiting to be discovered. I have to get that box set.
You do, it's amazing. Thanks, Matt!
I loved this video thank you for sharing your heartfelt insights. pendas fen is a masterpiece and I'm looking forward to watching more Clarke films
Thanks, Calum! Clarke never disappoints. But it's worth seeking out Artemis 81 if you like Penda's Fen. It's not quite as successful, but is full of fantastic ideas.
Enjoyed this video. Subscribed. At times it was like listening to myself! I even have that Prisoner box set! Elephant is my no1 too. An extraordinary piece of work. I was shown it by an older brother of a friend after school, (the day after broadcast ) and it's stayed with me ever since. As always, Clarke cuts through any BS and gets right to the heart of the matter. A genius. An underrated British genius, along with Peter Watkins. I've actually just finished 2800 words on Scum for the next issue of Cinema of the 70's magazine. Watching both versions, one after another, I agree that there is very little to separate them in terms of quality, though I do slightly prefer the film (love the Clarke steadicam). One other key difference between them is that Carlin has a 'missus' in the TV play. Minton was furious that this was cut from the film and fell out with Alan for years, until his tragic, early death. I still need to see Road and a couple of his TV plays, so I'll get that box set. Watching Clarke's work again recently only emphasises the poor state of British TV drama today. Everything is so safe and unchallenging, a world away from the uncompromising vision of Clarke. I find Shane Meadows to be his only natural successor.
Hi, Greg! Thanks so much for subscribing. I didn't know about that Cinema of the 70s mag - I'll check it out! Fantastic decade. I totally agree about modern TV drama. I just can't watch it. Not only is it safe and unadventurous, no character seems like a real adult person. Rather, they come across as avatars of a point of view, or a creation of someone who's learned characterisation from a media course, and not life. Modern narratives "hide" in a comfortable space where the spectator's view is never really challenged. Listen to me, old grump. But I can't shake that feeling.
Spot on!@@michaelbartlettfilm
I bought scum in 1991 from woolworths in hartlepool i was 15 so i new of Alan clarke's work at a young age and i think the man was a working class Genius film maker. More people probably know of him now than when he was alive due to his great body of work. Thankyou for this video👍
Thanks, Paul! I LOVE that you could buy Scum at Woolie's! Ah, I miss Woolworth's...and Wilko's. And they obvs had better taste in film than most supermarkets now.
@michaelbartlettfilm I was a really big 15 year old so buying 18 certificate films was not a problem, and yes woolies and wilkos such simple times👍
Brilliant talent. Uncompromising, challenging and so British. Nobody did ´blokes striding purposefully´ quite like Alan Clarke......
Yep. I wish all his stuff had survived. Fantastic director.
Glad Contact was included, though being based on a no relation other Clarke, who was an officer in the Parachute Regiment and did two Northern Ireland tours in the 1970’s, the film based on the later rural one.
The real Clarke didn’t fail to defuse bomb, it was an IED, you do see him start to do stupid things like picking up those bullets not waiting for bomb disposal and opening abandoned car doors, really it was a way on film to show his strain leading to a stomach ulcer that had him withdrawn.
It was realistic, they are moving at times covertly so unlike Hollywood are professionally quiet.
I think Elephant is a brave choice and deserving, honorable mention to Christine too.
Thanks, Graham! Interesting to hear about your relation. That scene is hard to watch.
Some of John Mackenzie's work with Peter Macdougall was good but Alan Clarke is by far my favourite.
Apaches!
As you allude to, there is hardly enough notice on Clarke's work. What a pleasent find.
Thanks for watching! Clarke's one of the finest UK directors in my view.
muy buen video
Gracias, Dani!
Vi hace años Pendas Fen, me pareció buenísima! la escena con el ángel es brutal. Esa serie Play for today, es fantástica
Si. Hay una serie de Play For Today DVDs de la BFI. Pero Penda's Fen es muy especial, un Tarkovsky ingles...
es justo lo que pensé!!! me recordaba a Solaris!! @@michaelbartlettfilm
I don't think Diane served a sentence. Her father did for abusing her, and he tried to connect with her after. he'd been released.
Thanks for that correction, my bad.
@@michaelbartlettfilm It's a fantastic film. My favourite of his is Road
@@Me-gs3uu "Somehow...somehow...we might escape..."
What about Shane Meadows?
Yeah, I don't mind Shane Meadows. But I haven't bothered with much of his later stuff. I like Romeo Brass, Dead Man's Shoes and This is England, but that's about it (though I didn't catch the last series of This Is England).
@@michaelbartlettfilm Well I think hes the closest will we ever got to a modern day Alan Clarke with his focus on Working class Englishmen and Primarily working on TV. That being said I think Bruce Robinson is another underrated and forgotten yet great British writer since Fear and loathing in Las Vegas is one of my all time favourite Films and book I think he did a great job of translating his work into Late 60s Britannia, and he also worked on The Killing fields which is another great film.
@@wotcher2385 I know what you mean about Meadows. I think he's a bit softer, more sentimental than Clarke, but at least he's got the right intent. His stuff feels so much more real and lived-in than so much modern TV and film. I don't know Bruce Robinson so well, to be honest.
totally agree with the top 3 and thanks for saying so much interesting stuff about one of my favorite directors of all time.🤍🤍
Thanks, Lorella! Great to hear the Alan Clarke love is still out there!